Not just beautiful, not just habitat…our street tree canopy is our most vital protection from rising temperatures
“Tree canopy is the amount of land shaded by trees. Our tree canopy keeps us cool during record-breaking summer heat, cleans our air, and makes our city beautiful.
Today, our tree canopy is not equal across Portland. Some neighborhoods have significantly fewer trees and experience hotter streets and fewer benefits as a result.
The City's goal is to increase Portland's overall tree canopy to 45% over the next 40 years so that every neighborhood can enjoy the benefits and services trees provide.”
Photo Credit: Portland.gov
Ironically, the City of Portland does nothing to stop the destruction of our street tree canopy by utility company contractors.
Many of our street trees are over 100 years old. They did not cross the high voltage power lines, the power lines crossed them.
Our street tree canopy is in danger from large U and V cuts by utility company contractors.
These severe cuts remove the center of each tree’s canopy, leaving the tree weakened and susceptible to disease.
If we work with local, ethical arborists we can keep our street trees healthy as well as in compliance with regulations.
Regulations do limit who can operate within 10 feet of high voltage power lines. However, a good arborist can still do a lot to save your trees from deep utility U and V cuts.
Large U- and V-shaped cuts (often called utility V-pruning or heavy reduction/heading cuts) damage trees by compromising their health, energy storage, and structural integrity.
How Large U- and V-Cuts Damage Trees:
Massive Open Wounds & Decay: Cutting large scaffold branches back to the main stem leaves huge exposed wounds. Trees cannot truly "heal" tissue; instead, they must "wall off" or compartmentalize the damage. Large wounds overwhelm these natural defenses, allowing fungi, bacteria, and rot to penetrate deep into the heartwood and trunk.
Energy Deprivation and Starvation: Pruning away massive portions of the canopy removes a tree's leaves, which are its only factories for producing food via photosynthesis. Removing more than 20% to 25% of a tree's crown at once drains its stored energy reserves, making it too weak to fight off pests, diseases, or environmental stress.
Destruction of Natural Structure: Utility V-cuts carve out the center of a tree's crown (frequently to clear overhead power lines), leaving unbalanced side limbs. This alters the tree's center of gravity and forces remaining branches to carry abnormal wind, rain, and ice loads.
Proliferation of Weak, Epicormic Shoots: Severe cuts trigger the tree to launch a survival response, producing dense clusters of fast-growing, weakly attached water sprouts or epicormic shoots around the cuts. These new branches have poor structural attachment and break easily in storms.
V-Shaped Crotches and Included Bark: If a "V-cut" refers to the removal or formation of tight V-shaped co-dominant stem unions (where bark gets trapped inside the junction, known as included bark), the union lacks a strong woody core. Under heavy wind or ice, V-shaped unions act like natural crowbars, splitting down the middle and causing catastrophic stem failure.
When they tell you they have to destroy the trees for your safety…
The city and the utility companies know there are alternatives…by allowing the destruction of the street tree canopy they are creating a climate crisis in our neighborhoods that our children and grandchildren will inherit.
These local arborists are committed to helping protect your street trees by keeping them out of the hands of utility company contractors. They will maintain the health of your street trees while working with the utilities to keep them in compliance.
Please contact an arborist now for a consultation. Don’t wait for the utilities to contact you. Be proactive. Utility companies begin pruning in early spring to “shock” the trees.
*SOS Trees PDX has no personal or financial ties to any arborists.
Utility pruning is “free” if you don’t count the destruction to our tree canopy. Local arborists are not free, but the ones on this list may offer discounts if you mention SOS Trees PDX, or if multiple neighbors in the same area hire an arborist together.
We are open to suggestions on how to use Mutual Aid to help people hire local arborists if cost is a barrier.
*All of these arborists agreed to be on this list, and stated that they want to help save our street trees from severe U and V utility pruning. We encourage you to do your due diligence, and ask exactly how they will help keep your street trees healthy and in compliance.
We welcome your feedback about arborists you work with. We post positive reviews here if the arborist is focused on saving trees.